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Friday, January 7, 2011

Second Hand Rose

My daughter is the second girl cousin in our family, so she gets loads of hand-me-downs from her older cousin. Being the oldest child of four, I'm not really familiar with hand-me-downs. I always received the new item first and then passed it along to my sisters. I did occassionally get dresses from a distant cousin and, unlike many children, I loved them. It was new to me and that's all that mattered. I think my daughter lives by the same philosophy. In fact, she idolizes her older cousin so much, that I think she's ecstatic to get something that once belonged to her.

But the items are second-hand nonetheless and I like to spiff them up for my daughter. I try to give them a little something extra that makes the item uniquely hers. (I think a lot of crafters who shop the flea markets have the same idea, hence all the wonderful, altered projects out there!) A few months ago, I showed you how I fixed up a doll carriage, and today I wanted to show you how I changed out my daughter's new-to-her, "big girl bike". It is wild and purple. The bike had mylar-like covered pads on the handle bar. By the time we got it, the covers were torn and fraying and fading. They were covering some stiff foam and were attached with velcro, so I just pulled the covers off the bike, had my daughter pick her favorite fabric from my stash, and then used the old covers as a pattern to create really cute new ones. I also used velcro, so we can take them off and wash them when necessary. It changed the whole look of the bike. The whole project used less than a fat quarter of fabric. In fact, I have enough fabric leftover to make a small fabric basket for the bike. (We'll see about that one-I'm a bit challenged when it comes to three dimensional sewing!)

How did you feel about getting second stuff when you were young? How do you feel about it now?

Welcome!

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I'm Laura Bray. I'm a designer, writer and lifestyle expert. I inspire creative women to live a life of balance and simplicity by sharing my modern twist on the traditional home arts. Whether you cook, sew, are raising children, or running a creative business, you are sure to find some inspiration and ideas.